Even though electronic cigarettes have been on the market since about 2009 or so, a lot of people are just now starting to take a closer look at them. And as they look at all the different brands and models for sale in local stores and online, they’re coming up with all kinds of questions about them.

So here I’m going to go over some of the questions I’ve been asked when people see me with mine.

1. Will the nicotine in vaping stain your teeth?

Can vaping stain your teeth? It depends on the person. If you vape with zero nicotine, you should be fine. If you’re a heavy vaper and use nicotine in your vape, you may have a problem with staining on your teeth, and you may not.

If you don’t keep yourself hydrated enough, you may have a problem with teeth staining.

The best thing to do is to keep hydrated and maintain regular brushing and flossing. You should also keep up with regular professional cleaning at your dentist. The healthier your teeth are, the less problems you should have with nicotine staining your teeth.

2. Are they like the “real thing?

Not really. These devices shouldn’t even have the word “cigarette” attached to them because they aren’t. They’re technically mini portable vaporizers that have nothing to do with cigarettes at all, except for the nicotine.

These devices are literally just another form of nicotine delivery for smokers. You don’t call the patch a “cigarette” patch or things like Nicoderm, “cigarette” gum.

But because the manufacturers pretty much targeted smokers with a device that they could “smoke” virtually anywhere, they called them electronic cigarettes.

Some brands look more like a real cigarette and even light up red, while others, like the LOGICs that I use, are sleek and black and light up blue, so it’s hard to even think it might be a real cigarette. In fact, my family thought I was carrying around a pen until they saw me “take a drag” and watched the vapor puff out and dissipate.

3. Will they satisfy a long-time, heavy smoker?

I was a long-time heavy smoker and I love them. Each smoker will probably have to test a few models to find one that works the best, and the closest to what they’re used to.

For example, I smoked lights for decades but even some of the brands of e-cigarettes I tried were way too light for my taste.

Some models won’t deliver the “throat hit” – and if you’re a smoker, you know what I mean – while others might deliver too much of a hit.

As for the level of nicotine delivery, again, it’s an individual preference. Heavy smokers who aren’t really trying to quit can opt for the highest volume of nicotine, especially if they’re only using them in place of their regular cigarettes in places where they’re no longer allowed to smoke.

I’ve seen some people pull out an electronic cigarette in a restaurant, and then when everyone is ready to leave, they light up a real smoke on the way to the car.

So it all depends on what you’re using them for – as a substitute for smoking in the car, in a cab, on a plane, in restaurant, or are you going to be switching to them completely instead of the real thing?

4. Are they safe?

It depends on who you want to listen to. If you listen to some doctors who have actually seen improvements in patients who have switched to electronic vaporizers from real cigarettes, they’ll tell you they’re safe.

If you talk to people who have used e-cigarettes for a long time with no harmful effects, they’ll say they’re safe too.

In my opinion, they’re a much safer alternative to real cigarettes. You’re not burning anything; it’s all liquid – nicotine mixed with water and vegetable glycerine with an atomizer that turns it into a vapor, not smoke.

If you talk to other doctors or if you listen to people who really don’t know a whole lot about them or don’t believe some of the tests that have been done in the medical community, they’ll tell you a different story. Even my own doctor doesn’t really like them and thinks there haven’t been enough tests done on the mechanisms themselves.

Personally, I’m going to inhale less toxins with my e-cigarette than I will standing next to a semi blowing out all that junk from its exhaust while puffing on the carbon monoxide from a real cigarette.

If you’re having doubts, you need to do your own research and use your own judgment.

5. Are electronic cigarettes a good way to quit smoking?

E-cigarettes haven’t been widely marketed as smoking cessation tools. They were manufactured mainly for smokers who want a way to feel like they’re smoking – actually inhaling a nicotine-based vapor – in places where they’re not allowed to smoke anymore.

Have people used them to quit? Sure. A lot of people have. Smokers have used them in place of real cigarettes and have eventually weaned themselves down to the lowest amount of nicotine to no nicotine at all.

Some people started using them as they were designed and have eventually switched to all electronic and have never picked up another real cigarette.

So yes, they can help you cut back or even quit real cigarettes, but since they’re not marketed or even designed as a way to quit, no manufacturer can legally make those claims – yet.

6. Are they FDA approved?

I still don’t understand why they’d need to be actually. But that’s my opinion. If the FDA tries pulling them off the market, I’m sure they’ll face a lot of resistance. Why? Because nicotine is already approved; it’s not illegal, and if they do try to regulate them or limit them, they’ll have to do the same with every type of nicotine delivery device like the patch and gum.

I know they’re trying. But that’s the government for you. I hope for the sake of a lot of smokers out in the world that the government can keep their hands off of something that is literally doing a lot of good for everyone.

7. Why are so many people against electronic cigarettes?

Most of the reasons are pretty much unfounded and just another way to complain about something that someone else enjoys.

8. Why do some people say the manufacturers are targeting kids?

Because they’re not informed, for one thing. Sure, they make the nicotine juice in a variety of flavors, but adults like flavors too. If you visit a smoke shop and look at all the flavors that are available for cigar smokers – cherry vanilla, mint, chocolate – you could say that cigar companies are targeting kids too. But that’s just absurd.

And it’s just as absurd to say that the e-cigarette manufacturers are trying to target kids too.

As for the claim that more teenagers are using e-cigarettes, personally, I’d rather they use an e-cigarette than a real cigarette if they’re going to experiment in the first place.

9. Do You Save Money Vaping?

Actually, you save money if you quit smoking all together. But, you can spend less by switching to vaping from smoking, if you don’t get into all of the high-end mechanical mods.

According to VaporHQ, “the average price of a pack of cigarettes in the United States is $6 – with a high of $12 in New York City. A 10ml bottle usually costs $6.99, so a pack of smokes is around $1.40 in ecig vapor. A 15ml bottle that sells for $9.99 equals $1.33 per pack. A 30ml bottle priced at $19.99 is equivalent to $1.32 per pack.”

Now, this doesn’t allow for the initial cost to buy a vape starter kit, but if you can spend upwards of $60 for a carton of cigarettes, you can spend $15 to $25 for a vape starter kit and about another $15 for a second battery.

You may need to buy a replacement battery once every four to six months, and restock on the Clearomizer cartridges, which you can still – so far – purchase online for about $1.50 per cartridge.

If you do the math, yes, you definitely do save money vaping rather than smoking.

Have more questions?

Check out the rest of the blog here for more information on how to find the best e-cigarette for you or even where to buy one.

I, myself, am grateful for electronic cigarettes. I was a pack, to a pack and a half smoker for 26 years. I have now been tobacco free for almost 3 months. I am down to the lowest level of nicotine above zero.

My Winston Red 100’s went to over $10.00 a pack that was fine until I got laid off from a full time good paying job I have had for years now I am back to ecigs Logic was the 1st I ever tried and loved it. I am sorry I ever quit them cuz I died the math and over the last 2 years I would have saved over 300 a month for 2 years , now the logics have gone up in price same as 2 packs for 5 cartridges but they last me for 8 days as opposed to $10 a day for 8 days, I am not smoking real tobacco any more and I don’t miss it at all, I even noticed my breathing getting better but that’s just me

This statement really isn’t accurate. First off, they were invented in the 60’s. They’ve been hitting the markets here since 2007. They were designed as an alternative to smoking. The only reason they’re not advertised as a cessation device is because the FDA hasn’t verified them as such, therefore they are not allowed to advertise cessation.